Navigating the New Healthcare Landscape

While we now know who will be leading the country for the next four years, there is still a lot of uncertainty about what the new administration means for healthcare. What, if any, aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will remain intact? How will insurers’ role change? What’s going to happen to the goals and promise of digital health? Will the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care continue?

As the PR agency for digital health and healthcare IT companies in varying stages of corporate growth--from startups to established leaders--our clients are all grappling with the probable changes and if, and how, to share their opinions. Do they share with their key stakeholders their thoughts on how the election results will impact the business of healthcare? While being a thought leader means that you have to be willing to share your views and be controversial, how do you do so without alienating customers, prospects and partners? How do you share your opinion without being polarizing? For more insight into how the election cycle impacts PR in general, check out our recent blog post.

Here are some best practices to navigate this political road of healthcare uncertainty.

• Stay focused on the issues important to you. As a healthcare vendor, you are impassioned to make a positive difference in the world and that’s true if your customer is a consumer, provider or third party. Stay true to your passions. If you are a digital health company, you can talk about how lower costs and enhanced care will benefit patients and providers regardless of what happens with changes to the ACA. If you are leader in patient engagement, this is a great opportunity to talk about the need to engage patients beyond face-to-face time with care providers or talk about the importance of patient-to-patient engagement. These are all important issues that need to stay constant regardless of any changes that may happen.

• Keep your personal vote private. Regardless of your opinion on the election results, there is no need to share your political party preference. If pressed by a reporter, company executives should say that they are not disclosing that information but that they are looking forward to continuing their mission to improve healthcare quality. They should then talk in detail about company goals for the year and how corporate leadership will work to make those goals a reality.

• Look ahead. In addition to a new political landscape, it’s a new year. This is a great opportunity to talk about where you want to see the market headed and what you are hearing from customers, partners and prospects.

Only time will tell what will happen with the healthcare landscape. Regardless of what the new administration will brings, changes will not be immediate and if you stick to the key issues that are important to you without getting embroiled in politics, you will come out ahead. Let us know if you have a question about navigating the political landscape; we are here to help!